Technique for Planing/thicknessing lumber???

Re: Technique for Planing/thicknessing lumber???

Richard Long

I try to run all my boards through the thickness planner at the same time. If I find a thicker board on the first pass no problem adjusting the planner for it. But after a couple of passes all the boards are the same thickness and I can continue down to the final thickness. That way all my boards end up the same as the planner is not adjusted for final thickness for each one.

Re: Technique for Planing/thicknessing lumber???

David Yoho

I do it the way you do. Most of the lumber I prep is rough. During the face jointing I may have to joint several pieces more than others, making some thinner. At the planer I start with the thickest piece(s) and run all until I reach final thickness. That way every board is the same. To my way of thinking it's important for making furniture parts and panels precise.

Not a good place to shop

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

He neither knows how to run a mill if his lumber is varying in thickness and doesn't plane much lumber with that technique.

It has been nearly 20 years ago but we charged $300/1000 bdft to plane lumber for our customers. Not using that technique you can be assured.

Re: Technique for Planing/thicknessing lumber???

Johanna Johanson

I certainly would not want any of the boards that guy milled! I want all the boards milled at the same time at each planer run so they end up being exactly the same thickness.

Re: Technique for Planing/thicknessing lumber???

Derek Cohen (in Perth, Australia)

I'm with you Barry.

I always start with the thickest board, bring them all down to the thickness of the thinnest, and then thickness all at the same time.

I am fortunate that my thickness planer (Hammer A3-31) has a digital gauge and, if it is necessary to add another board, it is not a big deal to dial in the same thickness again.

Regards from Perth

Derek

planing to a target

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

I rarely care exactly what the thickness that rough lumber winds up. When it cleans up I am done. I always adjust the machine with the crank at 0 degrees or 180 degrees resulting in an increment of a bit less than 1/32. If I need to match later in a project I know that the crank was in one of these positions. For customers we used 4 passes-two high feed rate sizing passes and two light cut finish passes at slower feed rate to target about 13/16".

For myself I try to squeeze as much thickness as I can from rough lumber so I may sneak up on a final thickness with 180 degree crank rotations to just clean up lumber. I usually can tease 7/8 from well manufactured lumber.

Re: Technique for Planing/thicknessing lumber???

Jim Dillon

I follow the technique that everyone else uses and for sure not the Youtube "woodworker" you reference. Life is too short to use his technique. I line up the boards next to the planer from thickest to thinnest then have at it using judgement when to move on to the next board. As I get close to the final thickness across all boards, I take smaller and smaller cuts often flipping the board. Sometimes I slightly dampen the surface prior to the final cuts. Works for me. Jim

I run a thickness planer...

David Weaver

..about twice a year. Sometimes none.

I do it your way. It's more time with the planer cutting wood and less time everything else.

Thanks....

Barry Irby

Part of my problem is I am running a Dewalt Lunch box planer. It will take a maximum of 1/16" cut. My lumber was cut on a bandsaw mill, and there can be a slight variations. That variation is enough to flummox the planer. A more robust machine would be capable of ignoring the differences and taking a fast pass and a slow pass as Bill mentioned.

Beyond that I do what Bill does and clean them up until they are clean, no matter the thickness. I can usually get 13/16 or 7/8"

Re: I run a thickness planer...

johannaj

Do you buy boards that have already been surfaced? I buy rough boards that are at least an eighth of an inch thicker (and preferably more) than my goal thickness. Lucky for me our local lumberyard allows me to pick and choose my boards!

I'm assuming that's to the OP..

David Weaver

...but, I always buy rough boards - usually 5/4. The pre-surfaced lumber here is kind of like working with plywood in that it's really close to a thickness you want and there's not enough there to flatten it. It serves a purpose, but not one that I need.